


Always A Team - Outtakes

by BlackCat46



Series: Always A Team [3]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Cinna returns, Everlark honeymoon, F/M, Fluff, More tags as more outtakes come, Smut, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-05-15 13:23:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCat46/pseuds/BlackCat46
Summary: Outtakes from Once A Team, Always A Team, focused on characters outside of Hayffie. More characters to come.





	1. Wedding Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome. 
> 
> This is a missing scene from my ongoing story (just click the link to the previous part of this series up there) Once A Team, Always A Team. This is the wedding night of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, set between chapters 31 and 32 of Once A Team, Always A Team.
> 
> I would like to credit my friend for helping me out massively with writing this, she's "Half Baked Beans" (heavy-breathing-asmr) on tumblr. Without her, this wouldn't have been written at all. 
> 
> That said, please notice the summary and rating, as this is rated Explicit and definitely not for people under the age of adulthood. I'd rather not ruin any innocent minds ;) . That said, enjoy. xxx

Peeta sighs, eyeing up the hotel room, and calls "Katniss, when should I call Effie?"

"Not now!" Katniss calls back from the bathroom. "They're probably getting ready to go to bed!"

Peeta's thoughts immediately take a turn he regrets immediately, and he cringes. "Okay, so call them at midnight, got it," he mutters.

"No, call tomorrow," Katniss sighs.

"But she said to call as soon as we arrive," Peeta protests.

"Call. Tomorrow. Effie can babble for Panem, we won't have any fun tonight if she's still blathering," she scoffs, walking in wearing just her towel. "No more Effie talk. We didn't ask her on our honeymoon so that we didn't have to be in tune with the Effie Show."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peeta asks, a bit lost.

"I mean she has to have the attention on her at all times. Didn't you notice how she dragged the attention on herself earlier? Getting into a fight, then bolting off? She hates letting anyone else have fun. Like now. She's not even _here_ , but the attention's on her," Katniss says, her annoyance seeping into her tone.

"That's a bit unfair," Peeta says. "She didn't intend to have them turn up."

"Yeah, and once they did, she ran off to get more attention," Katniss scoffs. "Can't our wedding night be Trinket-free?"

Peeta rolls his eyes, but wraps his arms around Katniss's shoulders gently. "Fine," he murmurs, peppering kisses over her neck. "I should make the most of having you all to myself."

"Yeah, you should. This is a chance to have at least one night for it to be just us," she says, rubbing the moisture out of her hair. He smiles slightly, kissing the moisture off her neck and shoulders gently, rubbing her hips gently through the towel, inching it up slowly. She turns her head a little and smiles naughtily at him. "That doesn't always mean sex, you pervert."

He grins, hoping to look adorable and irresistible, but judging from Katniss's smirk, he's only managed to look cocky. He kisses the smirk off her face, then murmurs "You're right, I'll stop," allowing her towel to fall back into place.

"You're so easy to mess with," she laughs, leaning against him.

He nuzzles her neck, then innocently murmurs "I know. I like it when you, ah, _mess_ with me."

She reaches back to tangle her fingers in Peeta's hair, lightly tugging on the short strands while her mind wanders. He undoes her towel a little, gently nipping at her neck. She sighs quietly and allows her towel to drop before turning around to face her husband. "You want me to mess with you?" she asks quietly. Peeta smirks a little, the blue of his eyes clouding slightly with lust. "Then you need to be undressed, don't you think?"

Peeta nods, hurrying to get his clothes off as Katniss's arms wrap around his neck. She peppers little kisses all over his face and neck as he hurries to shed his clothes, patiently running her fingers through his hair. As soon as the last of Peeta's clothing hits the soft carpet beneath their feet, he places his hands on Katniss's waist and carefully pulls her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers in a tender and slow kiss, his thumbs slowly rubbing circles into her waist. She leans closer, pressing her body to his, her eyes fluttering closed as she allows the kiss to overtake her senses, a tiny sigh escaping her. "You okay?" Peeta asks, ever concerned for Katniss's comfort.

Her hand coils around the nape of his neck for just a moment in silent response before drawing random patterns down his back, touching on each and every sensitive spot she can find. His hands roam her stomach, sides, and back, roaming without any other purpose than to feel her under his palms. He presses gentle kisses from her lips to her shoulder, murmuring soft, sweet nothings that she normally wouldn't let him get away with without merciless teasing. Her wandering hand lands on his behind and gently squeezes, kneading his taut, firm flesh. His soft groan against her shoulder makes her smirk, and she takes great pleasure in kissing his clavicle and upper chest while she gropes him. She murmurs "Peeta..."

"What is it?" he asks, gently stroking her upper thighs and behind.

"Bed," Katniss murmurs, leaning back a little to smile at him, moving her hand from his hair to his chest, her grey eyes turned almost black by lust. She takes his hand and tugs him toward the bed, pushing him down gently onto the bed, ensuring that he lands comfortably on the bed before she climbs up herself and straddles him. She leans down to kiss him, her hands roaming over his neck, shoulders, chest, and stomach, her lips following closely behind.

As she approaches his lower stomach, her intentions suddenly become clear and Peeta gently tugs her hair to lead her back up his body. The questioning look on her face makes him wince and he blushes hard as he says "Not now. As much as I like that, I want to do this traditionally."

Katniss chuckles softly. "Peeta, what part of our relationship is traditional?" she asks.

"If you'll let it be, this bit will be," Peeta says, smiling a bit. "This and the toasting."

She laughs a little more at that, then nods. "Okay, fine," she says, shrugging. "I've got my whole life to do a whole lot of dirty things with you."

That piques his interest, but he doesn't act on it, pulling her close for a kiss. She lets him kiss her as she touches him, stroking the fine blond hairs on his chest and allowing her hips to grind slowly against his rapidly hardening member. Peeta lets out a soft groan as his hips buck up toward hers. He allows his hands to roam over her stomach, back, and waist, sliding down her lower back. He gently kneads her bottom, kissing her harder as he squeezes her firm, round flesh. Slowly, Katniss slips her hand between their bodies and wraps her hand around Peeta's length, coaxing him to full hardness. She pumps him for a minute until he gasps "Katniss!" and a smile stretches her lips. "Katniss, please..."

She guides him to her entrance, only allowing one inch to enter her before she lowers herself slowly onto him. She moans softly as she feels him slowly filling her, stretching her walls out pleasantly. Peeta reaches up and runs his hands down her arms and sides, sitting up a little to press kisses to her upper chest and her neck. He lets out a soft moan as her fingers tangle in his hair, gently gripping her thighs. His hips buck hard as she shifts, changing the angle ever so slightly, and the last three inches slip inside her far too quickly for her original plans. She yelps "Peeta!" tugging on his hair.

He gently bites down on her collarbone, licking and sucking at it, creating tiny purple bruises all along the ridge while she lifts herself and slides back down on him, trying to find the perfect rhythm. Peeta buries his face in the crook of Katniss's neck and groans as he tries and fails to keep his hips from thrusting up to meet hers. They move together for a minute until they find the rhythm that fits them, and Peeta kisses Katniss gently, holding onto her hips, enjoying the warmth of her skin. He watches her face as she moans softly, wriggling around a little, her hands roaming his body. Peeta groans and pulls her close to capture her lips in a searing kiss. Katniss groans softly, kissing him back eagerly, her nails trailing down his front, tangling in the fine blond hairs on his chest. He runs his hands up and down her front, gently teasing goosebumps onto her skin, then leans in to bury his face in her neck, smelling the scent of woodland that never quite leaves her, faint sweat, and something that's so undeniably Katniss about her, something he can't put another name to. "That's it, Katniss," he groans softly, kissing her neck and tasting the slight saltiness of sweat on her skin. "There we go."

She whines softly, teasing his nipples gently before her lips replace her hands, which are trailing down his stomach, right down to where they're joined. Peeta groans and picks up the pace of his thrusts as she starts to rub at her clit. He presses kisses over her jaw and behind her ear, pressing his body close to hers. She buries her face in his shoulder, trying to keep control of herself while he gets closer to climax. "Peeta, please," she whimpers, nipping gently at his neck and moving quicker to match up with him. She gently licks the spot she's just bitten, relishing the salty taste of his sweat. "Please..."

Peeta groans softly and shifts a little to change the angle again, hitting the roughened patch of skin deep within her, making her cry out in pleasure. "There?" he asks softly, kissing a path down her neck.

"Yes! There, there!" she gasps, running her hand up his back to tangle her fingers in his hair and tug on it gently.

He slams his hips up, the sound of their flesh slapping together echoing slightly off the walls of their room. "Katniss," he groans, squeezing her bottom as he tries to keep himself under control.

"Peeta!" she moans, clinging to him as her fingers pick up the pace against her clit. "I'm so close, Peeta..."

He leans down and presses soft, feathery kisses over her chest, allowing his rougher side to overtake him, slamming deep into her, hitting that sweet spot with every thrust until she screams, her body jerking as her climax hits her. The sensation of her walls tightening around him overloads Peeta's senses and triggers his own climax. He groans loudly as she screams, their lips colliding in a brutal, hungry kiss as they ride out the waves of their orgasms. The pace of their movements gradually slows until they come to a complete stop, and Katniss slides off Peeta, lying down next to him on the rumpled sheets. He winds his arms around her and presses a gentle kiss on each of her eyes. "I really love you, Katniss," he murmurs.

"I love you too," she murmurs, finally at ease with saying those three little words. She snuggles closer to him and murmurs "I don't want to lose this feeling, Peeta. Just the two of us like this."

"Then we won't. We'll always have tonight," he murmurs, holding her close. "We only lose the things most important to us if we allow ourselves to forget them."

She snuggles closer and murmurs "You should have been a poet," before drifting off to sleep, resting her head on his chest.

He smiles, inhaling the scent of her hair, allowing the sweet smell to lull him off to sleep with her.


	2. Cinna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during chapter 30 of Expanding The Team, Katniss, Peeta and Cinna discuss Cinna's absence and the things they all missed out on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, there. If you've read Expanding The Team, you already know that Cinna's back. If not, then you should probably go catch up, otherwise none of this makes any sense at all.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters.

After dropping Ebony off, Cinna breathes deeply and walks across the street to the Mellark residence. He breathes slowly and knocks on the door, only to be greeted with "Cat!" and Willow's sobbing. 

He can't help the small smile at the sound of Katniss's yell at old Buttercup. Some things will never change. The door opens and he manages to smile properly, despite the nerves for what might be coming. "Hello, Katniss," he says quietly, watching her for signs of hostility.

"Come in," she says, backing up, much quieter and less angrily than he's used to from her. "It's a bit of a dump, we've had no chance to sort the place out."

Willow's still screaming, in spite of Peeta's attempts to soothe her. "Willow, please, calm down," Peeta says desperately. "Katniss, do I call Effie?"

"No, don't bother her," Katniss says, taking Willow. "She's probably tired, she told me late last night that the baby's keeping her up already. Willow, quieten down, you're going to cause a District-wide migraine."

Willow coos, relaxing the minute she hears her name from her mother. Peeta smiles at her and says "At least your voice soothes her."

"Anything to shut the girl up," Katniss grumbles, and Cinna's reminded forcefully of Haymitch when he said exactly that about one of Katniss's infamous temper tantrums during the Seventy Fourth Victory Tour. "I'd feed this kid twenty four seven if it kept her quiet."

Peeta chuckles, and looks at Cinna. "Feel free to sit down," he says, ever the host. "I can get you a drink. What would you like?"

"I wouldn't mind a coffee," Cinna says politely, awkwardly looking around. The problem with not seeing someone in two and half years, you don't know where you stand with them. Especially if they were a friend to you and you dropped off the face of the earth, and the friend in question has a short fuse and volatile temper. "So... How are things?"

"You tell me," Katniss says, flopping down opposite him. "Two years of complete ghosting, and you reappear with a kid. My life's been televised and splashed on every newspaper and gossip rag there is. What's yours like?"

"Tiring," Cinna admits. "Last time I had Ebony around all the time, I had Portia to help me. Now she's got separation anxiety and has nightmares of her mom being shot in a poor excuse of an execution. I wanted to come back to you when I saw you execute President Coin, but I had a terrified baby to care for, and she was as unsafe as any of us were. Being anyone to do with the Capitol and the Games then was a death sentence, and I'd escaped that once. I wasn't testing my luck, especially not with Ebony."

Katniss nods, glancing at Willow. "Wise move. But it's been two and a half years since then. Why didn't you come when everything had settled?"

"LIke I said, Ebony. Had I come to Twelve with her then, she would have been in a horrible state. I couldn't subject her to moving, and settling somewhere where we'd be in a lean-to until houses were built, and there were bodies everywhere. She needed me more than anyone else did. I had to stay low, for her sake," Cinna sighs, a slightly bitter tone in his voice. "Had I not had her, I would have come here straight away. I don't regret finding her again, not in the slightest, but she is my reason for not immediately returning."

"You didn't think to so much as send me a letter?" Katniss asks. "You could have. Nobody would have been able to trace that."

"I did consider it, but how would I break it to you in a letter?" Cinna asks, smiling ruefully. "Hi, Katniss, Cinna here. Not dead, just looking after my toddler daughter while in hiding in the ruins of the Capitol? No, that was something I had to tell you in person."

Peeta hands Cinna his coffee, and Katniss a mug of hot chocolate. "We wouldn't have believed a letter, to be honest," Peeta says. "Not in the state any of us were in. Telling us in person was a better move."

"I thought the same," Cinna chuckles, gratefully sipping the coffee. "It would have looked like a psychological trap."

Katniss shrugs. "Probably. But why didn't you come when the wedding was announced? Or when Willow was born? Or for Haymitch and Effie's wedding?" she asks.

"All happy events, focused on you four, five when Willow was born. I wasn't about to turn the spotlight on myself," he chuckles. "I know you and Effie, things would very quickly shift focus. I would have loved to come, though."

Peeta says "Katniss, what he did was right. You would have done the same in his shoes."

"I know, but it's making me more than a bit miffed," Katniss huffs, sipping her hot chocolate. "Why not in between? You've had so many chances to come and see us, and to let us in on things."

"After so much time had passed, I wasn't sure how welcomed I'd be," Cinna admits, giving her a small, wry smile. "I did try to get into contact with you, just after the rebuilding had settled, but you weren't picking up. I tried Haymitch, but his phone was off the hook. And Peeta was still in the city at the time, where Effie wasn't answering her phone either. Several times, too. Not daily, because phone lines were ruined, and I didn't have a secure location as it was."

Slightly mollified by that, Katniss nods, and asks "So how have you coped with raising Ebony alone?"

"Not as well as I'd have liked," Cinna says, a slight hint of longing in his voice. "I needed Portia most of the time, and there was no getting her. Ebony was pining, but she's managed. She's developed a strong attachment to you and Effie now, some longing for a mother figure."

"Have you considered someone else?" Peeta asks tentatively. "I know nobody can replace Portia, but if Ebony wants a mother figure, and you need a woman to help...?"

"I have considered it," Cinna says carefully. "But I can't bring myself to."

Katniss nods in understanding. "She was special in a way nobody else could be," she whispers, in a moment of romantic wisdom that'll probably never occur again.

"Exactly," Cinna replies, nodding. "I can't find anyone who could hold so much as a candle to Portia. I expect someone'll come along one day, when Ebony and I have healed enough, but I doubt it'll be any time soon. But enough sad talk, tell me about the two of you. How have your lives been?"

"Hectic," Katniss chuckles. "We'd literally  _just_ settled into a routine, and along came Effie. She was only meant to be staying for a month."

"How did you three get her to stay?" Cinna asks. "I didn't think she would."

" _We_ didn't," Katniss scoffs. "Well, not really. It was mostly Haymitch."

Cinna lets out a quiet laugh. "Unsurprising. So how did she manage to uproot you?" he asks.

"Being herself," Peeta chuckles fondly. "But honestly, it's good. She's much quieter than she used to be."

"I'll bet she is," Cinna says, equally as fondly. "She was the baby of our little trio a few years ago."

Peeta grins and Katniss asks "How was she?"

"She's a year younger than me, and six months younger than Portia was," Cinna says. Willow lets out a sharp cry and he smiles at her. "How did you two take the news of Willow? I distinctly remember Katniss saying no children."

"Katniss hid when she found out, and scared us all silly," Peeta says. "She told Effie first, and Effie was really nice about it with us both."

"You weren't nice to her, though," Katniss says, scowling a little. "That day, you were really mean to her. Haymitch told me everything she told him."

Peeta looks ashamed, and says "Yeah, I still haven't actually made that up to her."

Cinna wonders about adding his two cents in, but he decides against it. "How did you two react, though?" he asks.

"Like Peeta said, I disappeared for a few hours. He took it well, though. He was excited to have a baby," Katniss says. "Even if she keeps us up most of the time."

"When was she born?" Cinna asks curiously. 

"June twenty ninth," Katniss says. "She was born just after midnight."

He nods, and says "I was just wondering what date, just so I know when to have gifts in."

"Ebony's birthday's on October twenty ninth, right?" Peeta asks. Cinna nods, and Peeta smiles. "Just checking. Haymitch is planning a party for Halloween to surprise Effie, but he's also asked me for a birthday cake for Ebony."

"Has Effie expressed an interest in a Halloween party?" Cinna asks, amazed. "I didn't think she would want one this year, she'll be in the middle of her second trimester."

"It's Effie, only death will stop her partying," Katniss scoffs. "He's sworn us to secrecy, it's really irritating. When she gets all excited, he'll have to start a fight, and she'll be all miserable."

Cinna chuckles a little. "She'll forgive him on account of romantic gestures and baby hormones. Portia forgave everything if there was a romantic gesture involved somewhere," he says. "It must be a girl thing for a lot of girls."

"Must be," Katniss sighs. "Weird creatures. Willow'd better not turn out that way."

"She might become a miniature Katniss," Peeta chuckles. "Two of you."

"Ew. That'd make Haymitch's wish come true. Two of me. Ugh. She's yours now, go make her into a mini-Peeta," Katniss groans, handing Willow to him. "No being a mini-me, little girl. Go be a mini-Daddy."

Willow giggles and kicks, and just as Katniss takes a sip of her drink, Cinna teasingly says "She's giggling, she's already more Peeta than you."

Katniss lets out a rare burst of genuine laughter, and immediately begins choking, chocolate and tears dribbling down her face as she laughs and coughs. "Are you okay?" Peeta chuckles, rubbing her back.

"Fine," Katniss wheezes. "He just reminded me of the first time I actually remember giggling, and I almost fell off the stage in front of all of Panem."

"Like mentor, like Tribute," Cinna mutters, a small smirk on his face, just causing Katniss to erupt in more laughter. 

Her laughter soon infects Peeta, who can't help joining in when faced with a wheezing Katniss, who's turning purple with laughter and doubled up. Willow, who still doesn't understand, starts giggling too, just to be involved, and Cinna watches them laugh, a grin on his face, a feeling of ease settling over him. After a few miutes of solid laughter, Peeta asks "So, how long were you and Portia together for?"

"Six years, give or take a few months," Cinna says, a small smile on his face.

"How did you meet?" Katniss asks. "I mean, you two seemed worlds apart. She seemed too hyperactive for you."

"She was," Cinna chuckles. "We met in a fashion history class. Paired up by the lecturer, purely because Portia had the attention span of a goldfish on crack, which was the one thing she never wanted to do."

"Did she actually do the project?" Peeta asks.

"Like hell she did," Cinna scoffs. "She tried, the first few meet ups, but things changed, and stuff happened, she decided she preferred to be hugged and backseat sketch manage instead."

"How did she get through design school?" Peeta pries. "If she wasn't doing any of the work, she shouldn't have managed it."

"She had a natural talent for it," Cinna replies. "With a bit of study on history and shading, she was through the course. She didn't really need anything new, she was a designer by birth."

Katniss nods slightly. "The two of you made it big time before the war. Maybe you could teach Ebony," she suggests.

"She's determined to emulate her godmother, she's got no desire to design. She wants to model, and I suspect she'll do just that. There have been strong, stubborn women in her life who've stopped at nothing to get what they want, and with her mother's genes, I think she's going to be a force and a bit," Cinna says fondly. "Anyway, she probably inherited her mother's talent as well as her looks."

"I'm willing to bet she gets your love of gold eyeliner and piercings," Katniss says. "Are you going to let her get piercings?"

"If she proves mature enough when she's twelve, I will," Cinna tells her. "It's pretty safe to say that at the age of twelve, she's going to know whether or not she wants a piercing."

Peeta shrugs. "Worse things for her to do," he says. "At least if you're on board with it, she can't rebel that way."

"That's what I'm thinking," Cinna replies, sipping his coffee. "The more I agree to, the less she has to rebel with. As long as she's safe with whatever she does, I don't really mind what she does, as long as it doesn't involve being arrested."

Katniss chuckles. "If she does, she'll charm her way out," she says. "She's got your charm, and Portia's drive. Nobody will stand a chance against her."

"Not in the slightest," Cinna chuckles. "She's probably the most stubborn and charming three year old alive today."

"I still can't believe you've had a daughter for nearly four years and we've known you for all of them," Peeta says, shaking his head a little.

"You two have Willow now, that's a big change, considering Katniss wasn't really the motherly type," Cinna points out.

"Yeah, I'm still not," Katniss says, shrugging. "But since she's mine, I have no choice but to be her mom. I'm not good at it, but she's still alive, which is a win in my book."

"You're doing great, Katniss, I wouldn't worry too much," Cinna reassures her. "She's a healthy little girl, and seems more or less happy."

Katniss grins and says "That's ninety nine percent Peeta, I'm literally a walking milk supply for this kid."

Peeta rolls his eyes. "She adores you. She's just moody, like you are," he says.

"Thanks. She has some Everdeen in her, you know, she's not all sunshine and rainbows, and who can blame her? She lies in her own dumps unless she screams at one of us to change her diaper," Katniss scoffs, then picks Willow up. "Talking of, you're definitely in need of a change, girl."

Willow giggles and kicks her legs about. Peeta asks "Want me to do it?"

"Sure. I'm in no hurry to clean runny baby sauce off her back," Katniss grimaces, letting him take the baby. "My filthy girl."

Willow gives her a cheeky, dimpled smile, and Peeta laughs, whisking her off to get her cleaned up. "When do you think she'll want solid food?" Cinna asks.

"Six months old, according to the doctor," Katniss says. "So around December. We're thinking we'll ask Effie to cook."

"Are you sure? She burns kitchens," Cinna says nervously.

"Nope, she cooks properly now. Something to do with her having to be emotional support for her family after the war," she says, a touch of fury in her tone, and Cinna can't help but agree. "I'm not letting them forget that when they come over to meet her baby."

Cinna nods slightly. "Her family are really selfish when it comes to pain. How she ended up being that gentle and nice is a mystery," he says, then smiles a bit. "Portia once said that having Effie's family around was like being in a pit of deadly vipers. One wrong move and you're dead."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Katniss agrees. "Nasty people. If Willow ever came home to me beaten and traumatised, there'd be no such thing as her doing housework and such."

"That's a good thing," Cinna sighs, sipping his coffee. "Hopefully it never comes to that. Our daughters are safe from things like that."

"I hope so," Katniss mutters. "That family are the very epitome of how  _not_ to treat your kid."

"Have you considered taking culinary lessons from Peeta?" he asks, smirking.

"Once. We had to buy a new oven," she says, shuddering. "Never. Again."

"The cooking incident?" Peeta asks, handing Willow to Katniss.

"The cooking incident," Katniss confirms, kissing Willow's head. "We're leaving the cooking to Daddy and Aunt Effie. No more Mommy in the kitchen."

Willow giggles, and Peeta chuckles "Nope, absolutely no more of Katniss's kitchen disasters. Ovens are necessities I'm not ordering in bulk."

Three hours later, Cinna says his goodbyes and leaves to go and pick Ebony up, completely unaware of what his little girl has learned while he's been catching up with Katniss and Peeta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that, and that it was worth the wait. My hands are cramping, my brain is fried, so if you see any mistakes, please point them out to me. That said, please leave me any opinions, ideas, theories, or constructive criticism below in the comments. Lots of love and happiness to you all. Cat xxx


	3. Parent to Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taken from chapter 33 of Expanding the Team, Peeta has taken Effie, who is slowly working herself into a state, into the kitchen to calm her nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Now that I have my new little companion, Adric the Asus, there's more opportunity for missing scenes that you all want me to post. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters.

Peeta gently lifts Katniss off his legs to stand up, mumbling "Effie, kitchen." Haymitch just looks at him blankly, and he says "Don't worry, I'll give her back."

He almost expects Effie to snap about not being a possession to be passed around, but she's too inside her head already. He offers her his hand and helps her up, the worry he was just feeling over her intensifying. He leads her to the kitchen, and is amazed when she lowers herself slowly to the kitchen floor. As if she knows, she murmurs "I feel like those chairs will break under me at any given moment. They're older than I am, he won't let me change them."

Peeta chuckles, and makes her a cup of camomile tea. Once he's done, he places it in front of her, then sits down facing her. "Talk to me," he says quietly. "What's got you so worked up?"

"It's nothing," she denies quickly, her eyes flashing with panic.

"Don't lie to me," Peeta says gently. "I know you're scared, Effie. I just want to help. Why are you scared?"

She sighs, her eyes flitting to the door, to her stomach, then to Peeta. She locks her eyes on his and he has the uncomfortable feeling of having his mind rummaged through, his soul searched, and his intentions studied. When she's done, she tears her eyes away and whispers "I'm worried about my baby. What else? I live in constant fear, and while a lot of it is related to his health, some of it..."

"You're scared he'll be taken away," Peeta deduces quietly. It's too easy for him to come to that conclusion, he and Katniss are still processing that Willow won't ever be taken from them. "Who do you think would be stupid enough to try to take him with you, Haymitch, Kat, and me around to protect him?"

Effie looks sickened, and she whispers "I've been having nightmares about it. I didn't even know I was pregnant when they started. It's always the same. I told Haymitch that it was just normal mom worries, the birth going wrong, the pregnancy going wrong, losing him within a day of delivery, that stuff that every mom fears. But it's not. When the nightmares changed, it was always back  _there_ , and I had a tiny baby boy curled up behind me. I was protecting him, and they found out. They came in, they grabbed me, and they saw the baby. I would always scream for them to give him back, he's innocent, and they killed him. Every single night, I watch faceless guards murder my newborn son. If anything happens... I don't want to lose him. I don't want to be left without my child." 

Peeta nods, understanding that completely. "Those guards are dead, Effie. Haymitch ensured that none of them could ever come back to hurt you," he tells her gently.

"The man in charge back then survived," Effie hisses, her eyes wide. "We met him on the day we went to the city. He's still alive. I know he's living in Four, but I don't feel like we're safe. He still hates us all."

Peeta sighs, making a mental note to get a restraining order against the man, for both his and Effie's peace of mind over their children. "Fair enough, Effie, and I'll do what I can to stop him ever seeing you, Haymitch, and the baby. But right now, he isn't a threat. The baby's safe, and whoever wants to hurt you will have to go through Katniss, Haymitch, and me to get to you. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're not exactly easy to damage."

She smiles slightly, then sips her tea. "I worry about this little man. I told Haymitch, I'm not much. I'm a lot older than Katniss is, I had trouble staying pregnant, and I'm nowhere near as resilient as her. I'm not as strong as she is. This baby is coming into a home with a paranoid father, a doubtful mother, and both of us screaming the place down at night. I've got issues with food, so I might not be able to produce milk for him. I'm not capable of dragging myself up if someone needs me. I'm totally useless when it comes to pain. I have flashbacks and panic attacks when I'm hurt. Do you see? I'm not cut out for motherhood. I do worry about the normal expecting mother stuff, but what about  _after_? It's not like he's going to come out and not need constant care, is it?"

Peeta scoots closer to give her a hug. "Katniss and I had the exact same problem," he tells her. "Remember? You told me that if ever we felt our grips loosen, we could let you and Haymitch care for Willow while we sorted our heads out. The same applies to you with this little guy. You two always have permission to ask us to look after him when he needs us. There's no real reason to be afraid."

"It feels like there is," she whispers. "I worried about Katniss, but I knew she'd be fine really, and Willow would be too. I know you think I'm being silly."

"No, I don't," Peeta tells her softly. "I don't think you're silly at all, Effie. In fact, if you weren't in this state, after all you've gone through, I'd worry about the baby not being loved enough. I'm not saying you should be this scared, but it's expected."

She nods, then winds her arms around him. "It's just hard. I didn't know it would be so emotionally painful when so many women have said that their pregnancy was the most incredible thing they've ever experienced," she tells him quietly. "I thought I'd love every aspect of it. I thought that this would be the thing that cemented the knowledge of our freedom for me, but it's not. If anything, it's thrown me off more."

Peeta squeezes her gently and says "I know. It's terrifying. Katniss made the same point when she was carrying Willow. It's a huge step, going from couple to family, but if it helps you any, you and Haymitch are already great parents. Your son's going to be just fine, and so are you. You're a survivor, and so is he."

She laughs softly and asks "Do you still think you'll wake up to find Willow gone?"

"Every day," Peeta murmurs grimly. "But I know that if she's not with Kat or me, she'll be with you or Haymitch. There's no way anyone could get past all four of us."

"How do you cope with knowing she's real, though?" Effie asks, clinging to him. 

"I don't," he says. "Every time i see her, it's like some kind of dream. She doesn't feel like a real person. She's been a fantasy for so long, and now she's real, and it still isn't real to me. The only thing I really believe is that if anyone tries to hurt that baby, they'll wish they'd been reaped."

Effie nods. "That I understand," she whispers. "Even the visual of her, you, Katniss, Haymitch, Annie, Jo, River, or my baby being hurt... Hell fire won't even come close to my wrath."

"Unstoppable force," he agrees. "You have no reason to fear anyone hurting him."

"I know that in my conscious mind," she whispers. "I also fear being the one to hurt him. I know you have the same problem with Willow."

"My mutt side's anger is dangerous," he agrees slowly. "But yours... They didn't give you that much, they dropped you as a test subject. Your rages aren't violent. They're quiet and soft normally. You're never going to hurt him. He's safest with you. Even Haymitch won't be as safe for him as you are."

"He'll never hurt him," she denies, her voice soft but firm. "Not Haymitch. Even in his drunkest, most violent rage, he never once hurt a child. In fact, even in a fit of violence, if a child cried, he'd stop just to appease the little one. He's never, ever given me cause to doubt him in that sense. No matter what, his instinct around a child is to protect, never to harm."

Peeta grins, storing that information away for later. "Your baby's coming into a loving family. Effie. The only danger you need to really fear is stairs. They're a pain, according to late pregnancy Katniss," he tells her.

"I also need to fear the pregnancy going wrong, the birth going wrong, him getting sick, losing him, or accidentally sitting on him and squishing him," she says quietly.

"Aside from sitting on him, they're realities that come for a lot of women, but you need to think of the good outcomes. You could come home with a perfectly healthy son, after an easy birth, and both of you are happy and content. I don't think you're silly enough to leave him on the sofa where you can sit on him."

She smiles and rubs her stomach gently, feeling around for her son. "There you are," she sighs quietly. "I hope you're right, Peeta. Nothing good will come of the negative outcomes. I really hope you're right."

"Just picture coming home with him, Effie. He'll be safe, happy, and comfortable with you," Peeta whispers.

From the living room, Haymitch and Katniss's voices drift into the kitchen. "How's she coping with not sleeping?" Katniss asks.

"Not well," Haymitch snorts. "That woman's a nightmare."

"Mean," Effie whispers sadly, seeing the chance to get Haymitch. "Go and get him, Peeta, darling, please? I want to yell at him."

He chuckles and kisses her cheek gently. "Don't move, okay?" he murmurs as the tears start to drip down her cheeks. "You'll be okay."

"I'm too big to move without help, I'll be on my back," she grumbles, wiping her cheek a bit. "Please go get my squishy."

He leaves, and she hears "Princess will find some way to help you," from Haymitch.

"Princess is crying in the kitchen. She heard you calling her a nightmare, and I can't console her," Peeta says, a little clearer than Haymitch is.

She hears footsteps and sniffs a bit, wanting Haymitch to hold her. As he enters the kitchen, it's all she can do to not reach out for him like a helpless child herself, and relaxes a little once he's got hold of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, a chat between Peeta and Effie. If there's anything else you want to see, let me know. 
> 
> Hope you've all had a good few weeks, and that this next one will be good to you. Lots of love and happiness to you all. Cat xxx


	4. Revenge: Haymitch Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set between Once a Team and Expanding the Team, Haymitch and Effie have taken an emergency trip to Four to help out with an extremely unwell River, and while out buying medicine, meet someone who they both have a horrible past with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from TomHRichardson: I'd like to see a ficlet where H&E must go to Four for some reason, or they go to Four to visit Annie and Jo, and they run into Effie's torturer.
> 
> Thank you so much for this prompt, and I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Warning: There's some violence in here, references to torture, and death. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters.

"He needs medicine," Johanna says grimly, swaying slightly as River coughs, his face almost purple with effort.

"I gave him the last dose of what we had when his last coughing fit nearly suffocated him," Annie murmurs, panic shining through the haze of exhaustion.

Effie bounces up from the sofa and says "Haymitch and I will go. Take River to sit by the sea, the clean air might help his lungs a little. Haymitch, darling, with me."

Haymitch nods, all too eager to leave. He's never liked being around sickness. He follows Effie out, and once out of earshot of the younger women, asks "Do you know where we're going, sweetheart?"

"Yes!" Effie says, determined. "I searched the place, I know where it is, and the route. Come on."

She leads him by the hand to the twenty four hour drugstore just off Four's newly built promenade, and walks in. She drags Haymitch in with her and scans the signs around the store before grabbing an employee's shoulder gently. "Eff," Haymitch says, something about the employee sending his heart plummeting. "Eff, come here."

His words reach her too late. The man turns, and as soon as he places Effie's face, his helpful smile turns sick and twisted. "Well, look who it is. The roach," he says, in a dark, low tone that immediately makes Effie flinch. "What happened? Your rebels didn't want you either?"

Effie whimpers, and Haymitch asks "Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, you brought yourself a pet," the man chuckles darkly, grabbing Effie's arm roughly. "Didn't you, little roach?"

Effie squeaks "You don't hurt him!"

"Now, who said anything about hurting him?" the man asks. "Why hurt him, when I have such a pretty toy? How long has it been, little roach? Little under two years?"

"Get your hands off her," Haymitch says quietly, dangerously.

"Why? Just having some fun with her," the man chuckles nastily, shaking her a little, his hand trailing over her waist. "Come on, little roach. What do you say to joining me in the alleyway? I'm sure you remember how much you  _liked_ having rusty pipes rubbed all- Oof!"

Haymitch's fist cuts him off, landing squarely in his mouth. "She's not going  _anywhere_ with you, and you're not putting rusty pipes near any part of her, you hear me?" he snarls.

"She didn't just like pipes," the man mumbles through a mouthful of blood. "Did you, little roach?"

Effie whines, covering her ears, and Haymitch snarls "You hurt her?"

"A lot," the man gloats, spitting the blood out in Effie's direction, splattering her coat. She shrieks and grabs Haymitch. "Look at that. Little roach is hiding behind her scum wall."

Effie lunges at him, the surprise taking the man off guard, allowing her to knock him flat. "You don't call my squishy scum!" she squeaks loudly, punching him repeatedly with her tiny fist.

He aims a punch at her stomach, only missing because Haymitch swings a swift kick at his elbow. He gets a wriggling Effie off her former tormentor and rearranges her fist. "Like that," he tells her quietly, then turns his glare on the man. "So. You hurt my girl, did you? Did you get some sick pleasure out of hurting this sweet little thing?"

"Did you just miss the punching she gave me?" he asks, more than a bit beaten up now.

"Did you just miss the bit where you deserved it for what you did to her?" Haymitch snarls. "That little blonde right there, she hadn't even raised her voice to you, let alone a hand, and you abused her until she was nearly dead, you and your little mates. You want to know where your pals are now? They're dead. Dead because they hurt her."

"Squishy," Effie whimpers, her eyes wide. 

"And guess what? I shot at you. I tried to get you. Guess my aim was off, because I got all your little buddies. They're six feet under in a mass grave. You, however, pal, you're not getting that. Look at that sweet little woman, and tell me who you think she is now," he snarls down the man's ear.

"She's a civilian now, thanks to your little revolution," the man growls.

"Yeah. That's all she's ever been. An innocent, harmless civilian. Literally a third of your size, and completely defenceless. And you abused her," he snarls. "Do you know what happens to people who abuse her?"

"Squishy," Effie breathes, reaching for him.

"It's okay, Eff," Haymitch says, his voice changing to a gentle tone especially for her as he brushes her hands away. "You go get River's medicine, okay? Go on. I'll catch up to you in a second. You're okay, beautiful."

"I'm not leaving without you," she whispers.

"Then cover your eyes," he tells her gently, and returns to the snarling, dangerously quiet tone he was using before. "People who abuse her die. Get me? And with special army permissions from Paylor and her government to eradicate any threat to her or our kids, nobody can arrest me. There's tapes of you hurting her now."

"Squishy!" Effie squeaks. "You... You're not serious?"

"I am," Haymitch snarls, and he drags the man outside, just out of Effie's line of sight. She doesn't see a second as Haymitch snarls "Any last words?"

"I was only following orders with her," the man gasps, a plea in his voice that Haymitch is all too willing to ignore.

"I don't care. What you did, and how you just treated her without your orders suggests you wanted to," he snarls, and without any hesitation, he snaps the man's neck. As the man goes limp in his arms, he drags him away, taking him over to a grass verge and dropping him into it, too deep for anyone to find him, and returns to Effie, who's pale and shaking slightly. "Hey, beautiful."

"What did you do?" she asks softly, her eyes wide. He offers her his arm and she tucks herself under it. The relief of not being rejected by her washes over him. "I mean...?"

"Come on, we'll go get River's medicine," he says quietly, avoiding the question and her gaze.

She walks with him, and softly repeats "What did you do?"

He looks at her, and she's horrified to see the lack of guilt in his eyes. He's not quite  _satisfied_ , but he's not remorseful either. "I made sure he never gets the chance to do that to anyone again," he says evasively.

"Did you at least make it quick?" she asks, her heart sinking.

"Sweetheart, unlike anyone who thinks it's fun to torture sweet little things like you, I don't drag out the deaths of my enemies. He didn't deserve my time," he growls, hatred flashing in his eyes. "He hurt you. He hurt my friends. He hurt my kid. More than enough reason to kill the scum."

"I don't want you taking lives for me again," she whispers. "Unless we're in immediate danger and have to in order to save our lives in the moment, I don't want you to kill anyone else. From what you said, he was the last of them. I don't want you to do that again. No more deaths on your conscience."

"He's not a death I'll regret causing, but fine," he says, then kisses her nose. "Come on, we'd better medicate River before he needs urgent care."

The way he holds her as they walk home isn't lost on her. Even when the threats aren't close by, he's still determined to protect her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to TomHRichardson for the prompt. I hope you enjoyed this.
> 
> And as always, if you ever want to request something for this series, my comments box and DMs on Twitter are always open, my handle is @BlackCatS46, and thank you for reading.
> 
> Much love and happiness to you all. Until next time. Cat xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope that was satisfactory for you. I'm not used to writing these two, so I hope I didn't massively destroy them for you. If you have any constructive criticism or ideas, please feel free to pop them in a comment or a Tweet (@BlackCatS46) for me to see. 
> 
> Much love and happiness to you all. Until next time. Cat. xxx


End file.
